Facelift Marin County
Rekindle Your Radiance
Why Choose Plastic Surgery Associates of Santa Rosa for Your Facelift?
Rediscover your vibrance with a facelift procedure designed just for you. Aging is a natural part of life. But signs of aging don’t have to overshadow your unique beauty. A facelift offers comprehensive facial rejuvenation, turning back the clock on moderate to advanced signs of aging. As our facial tissues lose their elasticity and respond to the effects of gravity, concerns like volume loss, sagging skin, wrinkles, and deeper creases become more pronounced. A facelift rejuvenates the mid and lower face, helping you look more refreshed and youthful and highlighting your natural beauty.
Our board-certified plastic surgeons bring decades of experience to every facelift procedure, combining advanced techniques with artistic vision for a harmonious result. We understand that choosing to undergo a facelift is a significant decision, which is why we prioritize patient education, comfort, and safety throughout your journey. With our expertise and commitment to excellence, you can trust Plastic Surgery Associates of Santa Rosa to help you revitalize your appearance and your confidence.
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Facelift Before & Afters
Facelift at a Glance
- Purpose: Addresses facial sagging, wrinkles, deep creases, and loss of facial volume
- Benefits: Customized procedure based on your individual needs
- Procedure: Typically lasts 2-4 hours under general anesthesia
- Results: Optimal results can last 7-10 years with proper care
The Gold Standard for Facial Rejuvenation
What Is a Facelift?
A facelift, also known as rhytidectomy, is the most comprehensive type of facial rejuvenation surgery. Our providers customize this surgical procedure to address several signs of aging in the face and neck, tightening loose skin, smoothing out wrinkles and deep creases, and restoring a more youthful contour to the face, jawline, and neck. We employ several facelift techniques, including full, lower, and mini facelifts, to address your specific concerns.
The primary goal of a facelift is to rejuvenate the lower two-thirds of the face and neck. By repositioning underlying tissues and removing excess skin, a facelift can effectively turn back the clock on your appearance. Our advanced techniques ensure a graceful, natural-looking transformation that enhances your unique beauty.
Experience, Expertise, and Understanding
Facelift Techniques
Every facelift we perform is meticulously designed for the individual patient, taking into account your bone structure, skin quality, signs of aging, and goals. Depending on your needs, your provider may recommend a full facelift, lower facelift, or mini facelift surgery. Your surgeon will recommend an approach that provides optimal results with the least amount of invasiveness.
FULL FACELIFT
A full facelift targets sagging skin, deep wrinkles, and loss of volume throughout the face and neck. This surgical technique achieves a dramatic, youthful transformation, lifting cheeks, smoothing jowls, and tightening the jawline for a sculpted and refined look. It's ideal for those with significant signs of aging across the mid and lower face.
LOWER FACELIFT
A lower rejuvenates the lower third of the face, addressing concerns like sagging jowls, loss of jawline definition, and marionette lines from the corners of the mouth to the chin. This targeted approach offers a shorter procedure time and recovery compared to a full facelift while delivering a noticeable improvement in the lower facial contours.
MINI FACELIFT
- A mini facelift is ideal for reversing early signs of aging in the mid-face and jowls. This option offers the quickest recovery and most subtle results. It's perfect for those who want a preventative approach or a slight rejuvenation to maintain a youthful look.
VIP-Level Care for Every Step
What Is the Facelift Procedure Like?
On the day of your facelift surgery, you'll arrive at our state-of-the-art facility in Santa Rosa. Your surgical team will prepare you for the procedure and answer any last-minute questions. The surgery takes place under general anesthesia, ensuring your comfort throughout the process.
Your surgeon then carefully places incisions, usually beginning near the hairline at the temples and continuing around the front of the ear. They then reposition the underlying facial tissues, tighten facial muscles, and remove excess facial skin. The techniques employed will depend on your individual needs and the extent of correction required. After sculpting and contouring the face, the surgeon closes the incisions with fine sutures, taking care to minimize visible scarring.
After your surgery, our team will monitor you in a comfortable recovery room as you awaken from anesthesia. Facelift surgery is typically performed as an outpatient procedure, and you will need a friend or family member to drive you home. It's helpful to have someone help you around the house during the first few days of recovery.
Harmonious Beauty
What conditions does a facelift address?
A facelift seamlessly revitalizes the mid and lower face, smoothing out nasolabial folds and marionette lines in the nose and mouth area, eliminating “jowls” or sagging skin and fatty tissue at the jawline, and sculpting away skin and excess fat in the neck area to reverse the appearance of a “turkey neck,” vertical neck bands, and a double chin.
Personalized to You
What areas can a facelift address?
While the term "facelift" might suggest a focus solely on the face, this procedure can actually address multiple areas to create a harmonious rejuvenation. The primary areas treated during a facelift include the mid-face, lower face, and neck. In the mid-face region, a facelift can lift sagging cheeks and restore volume, reversing these common signs of aging. The lower face also benefits greatly from a facelift, with improvements seen in the jawline definition and the reduction of jowls.
Achieve all of Your Goals
Procure Combining a Facelift With Other Procedures
Many patients choose to combine their facelift with other procedures. The following facial plastic surgery techniques can complement the results of a facelift to reverse several common signs of aging in one surgical procedure.
Neck Lift: A neck lift addresses concerns like excess fat and skin relaxation in the lower face, loose neck skin, and vertical muscle banding in the neck, resulting in a more defined jawline and youthful neck contour. Combining a neck lift with a facelift involves an additional neck lift incision underneath the chin.
Blepharoplasty: Blepharoplasty, also known as eyelid surgery or an eyelid lift, rejuvenates the eyes by removing excess skin, fat, and muscle from the upper and/or lower eyelids.
Brow Lift: A brow lift, also known as a forehead lift, raises sagging eyebrows and smooths forehead wrinkles and lines.
Lip Lift: A lip lift enhances the shape and fullness of the lips by shortening the space between the upper lip and the nose, resulting in a more defined and youthful lip contour.
Refined and Revitalized
What are the benefits of a facelift?
A facelift offers harmonious, holistic rejuvenation, targeting several common concerns at once.
- Refined face and jawline contours: Tightens excess skin and repositions underlying tissues to restore a more defined and refreshed jawline and cheekbones.
- Reversed sagging and hollowing: Reverses the effects of gravity and restores a fuller, more youthful facial appearance. Fat transfer can be incorporated into the procedure to add volume and shapeliness in areas like the cheeks.
- Smoother, more youthful-looking skin: Smooths out uneven skin texture and tightens loose skin.
- Reduction in fine lines, wrinkles, and deep creases: Reduces and redrapes excess skin, smoothing away fine lines, wrinkles, and deep creases like nasolabial folds and marionette lines.
- Natural-looking enhancement: Our experienced surgeons ensure that you'll look like a rejuvenated version of yourself without changes to your fundamental appearance or an obviously "worked on" look.
- Long-lasting results: While no surgical procedure can completely stop the aging process, a facelift can effectively turn back the clock by 7-10 years. Even as you continue to age, you will always look younger than you would have without surgery.
- Improved self-image and confidence: Many patients report feeling more confident in both personal and professional settings after their facelift, enjoying an outward appearance that better reflects their inner vitality.
Expert Guidance
Am I a Candidate for a Facelift?
Candidates for facial cosmetic surgery typically have moderate to significant facial sagging, loss of skin elasticity, and excess skin. Most facelift patients are in their 40s, 50s, or 60s, but there's no set age limit for the procedure. Older patients who are in good general health and have adequete skin elasticity may also be candidates. It’s important to have realistic expectations about what a facelift can achieve and maintain a positive outlook on the surgical process.
Your safety is our number one priority. For this reason, patients with certain medical conditions and lifestyle factors may not be candidates:
- Uncontrolled Chronic Conditions: Uncontrolled medical conditions like diabetes, high blood pressure, or autoimmune diseases can increase surgical risks and hinder healing.
- Bleeding Disorders: Conditions that impair blood clotting can significantly increase the risk of bleeding during and after surgery.
- Smoking: Smoking restricts blood flow and impedes healing of the skin and other facial tissues, making it a major risk factor for facelift surgery. Smokers must be willing to quit for a period of time before and after their surgery.
- Unrealistic Expectations: It's crucial to have realistic expectations about the outcome of facelift surgery. Those seeking dramatic transformation beyond what the procedure can achieve might not be good candidates.
- Recent Pregnancy/Breastfeeding: If you plan to become pregnant or are currently breastfeeding, it's best to wait for a facelift until after you're finished.
During your consultation at Plastic Surgery Associates, your surgeon will discuss your goals, thoroughly evaluate your medical history, and help you determine if a facelift is right for you. We provide honest, personalized recommendations to ensure the best possible outcomes for each patient.
Full Support as You Heal
Facelift Recovery
Recovery from a facelift requires patience and proper care to ensure the best possible result. Immediately after surgery, you can expect some swelling, bruising, and discomfort, which are managed by taking prescribed medications and keeping your head elevated. Your surgeon will provide detailed aftercare instructions on how to minimize swelling and promote optimal healing of the incision sites.
You'll need to avoid strenuous activities like exercise and heavy lifting for approximately four to six weeks. While recovery time can vary, many patients feel comfortable returning to work and social activities after about two weeks. Your surgeon will check your recovery progress at post-operative appointments and remain fully available to answer questions at any time.
Beautiful Inside and Out
Facelift Results
The results of a facelift performed by the expert surgeons at Plastic Surgery Associates of Santa Rosa can be truly transformative. While you'll notice improvements as soon as the initial swelling subsides, the full results of your facelift will become apparent over the course of several months as your tissues settle and heal completely.
Patients can expect to see a significant reduction in facial sagging, smoother skin, and a more defined jawline. Optimal results typically last for 7-10 years. Although the natural aging process will continue, you will likely always look younger than you would have without surgery. To maintain your rejuvenated appearance, we recommend adopting a good skincare routine, protecting your skin from sun damage, and maintaining a healthy lifestyle. Some patients choose to complement their surgical results with non-invasive treatments like dermal fillers or laser therapies to further enhance and prolong their youthful appearance.
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Facelift
Frequently Asked Questions
As you research facelift surgery, you may come across the terms "deep plane facelift" and "SMAS facelift." These are useful descriptive terms. However, it's important to understand that these categories can overlap. Our surgeons may blend techniques to address a patient's specific needs and goals.
Deep Plane Facelift: A deep plane facelift addresses deeper layers of facial tissue than a traditional facelift. This cosmetic surgery involves adjustments to the facial muscles and fascia (the connective tissues between the muscles). After tightening sagging muscles, the facial skin is redraped and excess skin is removed. The fat pads may also be lifted to reverse the appearance of sagging in the cheeks and jowling along the neckline. This comprehensive approach provides significant, natural-looking, and long-lasting rejuvenation.
SMAS Facelift: An SMAS lift offers a targeted approach to facial rejuvenation by addressing the Superficial Musculoaponeurotic System (SMAS), a structural layer composed of fibrous tissue, fascia, and fat. By tightening and repositioning this layer, our surgeons lift sagging skin, smooth wrinkles, redefine the jawline, and rejuvenate the appearance of an aging neck. While not as extensive as a deep plane facelift, an SMAS lift offers a shorter recovery time and delivers impressive results in the lower face. It's a perfect option for those seeking noticeable rejuvenation without a lengthy downtime.
Like any surgery, a facelift carries some inherent risks. Rare but potential complications include infection, poor wound healing, bleeding, facial nerve injury, changes in skin sensation, permanent hair loss at the incision site, and unfavorable scarring. However, working with an experienced, board-certified plastic surgeon significantly minimizes these risks. Our team's expertise ensures meticulous technique, proper patient selection, and a commitment to safety throughout the entire process. Good aftercare following surgery is also crucial for optimal healing and minimizing complications.
A typical facelift surgery takes 2-4 hours, depending on the extent of the surgery and if any additional procedures are combined.
Our surgeons use advanced techniques to minimize scarring. While some scarring is inevitable, incisions are carefully placed in inconspicuous areas and typically fade significantly over time. Post-procedure treatments like laser therapy can also help scars blend in.
Most patients feel comfortable returning to work and social activities after about two weeks, although this can vary depending on the individual and the nature of their work.
Our goal is to provide natural-looking results that enhance your features. You'll look like you--just a more refreshed, radiant version!
Light walking is encouraged soon after surgery, but more strenuous exercise should be avoided for about 4-6 weeks. Your surgeon will provide specific guidelines based on your recovery progress.
We'll provide detailed pre-operative instructions, but generally, you should stop smoking, avoid certain medications, and arrange for someone to help you during the initial recovery period.
While a facelift can provide long-lasting rejuvenation, you will continue to see changes in your face as you age. However, you'll continue to look younger than you would have without surgery.
Interested to find out which treatment is right for you?
